creamy, smoky

eggplant soup

with green tahini sauce swirl

creamy, smoky eggplant soup

What makes this recipe stand out from the eggplant soup crowd?

First, it’s all about burning … yes, burning … the eggplant. When the skin is charred and turning to ash, the flesh inside becomes silky soft, with an irresistibly smoky flavor.

This recipe is based on one of my favorite Middle Eastern dips, baba gahanoush. And that’s the second thing that makes it stand out from other recipes for eggplant soup. Pungent garlic, toasty sesame paste, and the bright shock of lemon combine with the burnt eggplant to create a soup that’s silky smooth and richly flavored. Then there’s The Twist. The twist comes from the addition of caramelized mushrooms. They add a woodsy note that marries beautifully with the smokiness of the eggplant.

Burning eggplants is best done over an open fire. A grill works fabulously well, but it’s not always practical to fire up a barbecue for the sake of burning one or two eggplants. My usual method is to place them directly on the iron grates of my stovetop and turn the gas on high. If you haven’t got a gas stove, you can achieve similar results with the electric heating element of a broiler.

If you’re using a gas stovetop, I recommend covering the surface with aluminum foil, making cut outs for the burners. This will save a massive clean-up at the end.

This soup makes for an exciting starter for a special dinner. It also makes an excellent lunch when served with a salad. My first choice here would be the wonderful fried bread salad from Lebanon, known as Fattoush.

I made this creamy, smoky eggplant soup as part of my menu for Parasha Shelach. It was a total hit with everyone at the table. Even the six-year-old gave it a thumbs up and the two-year-old begged for more.

Ingredients:

  • (about) 2 pounds globe eggplant (one or two depending on size), rinsed

  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced

  • 6 ounces mushrooms—white, brown, or shiitake all work well—wiped clean and sliced

  • 3 garlic cloves, minced

  • 2 tablespoons fruity, good quality extra virgin olive oil

  • 3-4 cups stock—chicken, no-chicken, or vegetable

  • 1 ½ teaspoons za’atar, or to taste

  • 1 to 2 tsp lemon juice

  • 1 cup whipping cream

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • a few spoonsful of Green Tahini Sauce (Recipe below, for garnish)

  • 1/2 cup goat cheese or feta cheese, crumbled (for garnish)

 Method:

  • Place eggplant directly on the burner of a gas stove with the flame on high, or on a grill over hot coals, or under a broiler. Using tongs, turn the eggplant from time to time (if using a stovetop, move its position on the burner so that both the wide end and the narrow end of the eggplant have a turn at contacting the flame) until it is blackened all around and beginning to turn ashen in spots. Remove the eggplant from the stove and place it on a grooved cutting board so that the juices don’t spill over when you cut it.

  • Warm the olive oil in a soup pot and sauté the onion until it’s transparent. Add the sliced mushrooms and continue to sauté until the onions and the mushrooms begin to caramelize. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute or two.

  • When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and scrape the flesh from the skin, using a spoon. It’s ok if some bits of the skin get mixed in. Add the flesh to the soup pot.

  • Add 3 cups stock and the za’atar, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Add the tahini paste.

  • Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until smooth. Stir in 1 teaspoon lemon juice and the cream and return the pot to the stove to re-heat the soup. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Add more lemon if you’d like. If the soup is too thick, add more stock.

  • Ladle into bowls. Finish with a swirl of the green tahini sauce and some crumbles of goat cheese or feta cheese, and serve.

Note: When re-heating leftovers, you will probably need to thin it a bit with a little more stock or water.

For a dairy-free version, omit the cream and the cheese. I haven’t tried it, but a non-dairy milk may work here, too. If you give it a shot please let me know how it comes out.

Green Tahini Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil

  • 1 ½  tbsp. za'atar (Lebanese spice mix), or more to taste

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 bunch cilantro, stemmed

  • ¼ cup tahini paste

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

Method:

  • Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until (mostly) smooth.